5/25 A Birth Story

Jakk's birthday got me thinking, and I didn't have my blog while I was preggo, so I didn't get to share my birth story!
Back story: I had a C-Section with M 2/20/08 due to placenta previa, and got pregnant again with in seven months. They normally suggest waiting at the least 18mths between pregnancies to have a VBAC. So we had to go with a repeat C-Section since my LO's were due to be 16mths apart...J's due date was June 19th!

May 19, 2009: I left work early because I wasn't feeling good...Later that night I felt my belly getting really tight and staying that way for about 30sec. I timed it and it seemed to be every 4mins....I was thinking..I still have a whole month left..well we dropped M off with my parents and headed to the hospital. When I got there they hooked me up and quickly realized that I WAS contracting and they were every 2minutes at this point. I wasn't dialated though, but was 50% effaced. At this point the contractions were peaking at 75-100 on the monitor, but all I was feeling was tightening...uncomfortable, but not painful! They kept me overnight and gave me meds to stop my labor since I was only 35wks and needed a section. I was sent home the next day on BED REST!!!
I took the next couple of days to spend quality time with M since I knew the day was nearing.
May 22, 2009: I had a normal check up with Dr. Gass and he was a little concerned, and so was I, that the baby wasn't moving much at all. He sent me back up to the hospital to do a NST and BPD ultrasound. During the NST we got a little worried because he really was NOT moving at all. Just before the ultrasound tech came up to get me, my nurse had me drink a soda, and once we got down to US my little man was moving all over! Thank God!! Finally I got to go home, but Dr. Gass explained to me that at this point I was 36wks so if I went in to labor he would not stop it. He said that the meds used to stop labor can only be useful up to a certain point.
May 25th, 2009:Memorial Day I had been contracting all day, but I definitely didn't want to go to the hospital just to get sent back home. So I dealt with it, after all it wasn't really that painful just uncomfortable. We went to the park with M and then gopt a bite to eat at Wendy's since we had had an early dinner that day. While at Wendy's I kept rushing to the bathroom because I felt like I had to go...so much pressure, but again not painful. Then as we were leaving I started to feel like my stomach was staying tight, so I told Derek I think we needed to go to the hospital. We again drop M off with my parents (we left no car seat because we figured we'd be right back) We got to the hospital(7:30pm) and my contractions were again every 2minutes, and I was dialated 1-2 and 75-80% effaced...Yep I was in active labor since I had dialated and effaced since my appointment on May 22nd. The nurse came back in after calling the doctor and she had a familiar brown cup in her hand...it was the stuff you drink before a C-Section! So I knew it was time! She said that Dr. Gass felt it was time to do the section if it was ok with me..I said sure, what time? I wanted to call and get everyone there...she said "in about an HOUR!" What??? Derek rushed to get everyone there as the nuring team got me prepped and ready to go. Everyone was nice except my scrub nurse..go figure the one that was going to stay with me during surgery...she was getting irritated because I told her I didn't want my foley catheter inserted until after I got my spinal. That is my choice you know, and those things are not comfortable at all!!! Well this section was a little different because they gave me a spinal instead of an epidural(there is a difference), they did my spinal in the OR instead of the LD room, and with a spinal you can still feel things...I promise it actually kind of hurt. I told the anesthesiologist that I could feel him cutting and you know what he said? "Trust me it's not as bad as if you weren't numbed at all!" What? I just dealt with it...and trust me with M I didn't feel anything! So at 8:40pm (only 1hr 10mins after arrival) Jakkson Alaxandar was born weighing 6lbs 6.5oz and 19.75 inches long! They showed him to me and he was beautiful...perfect! His Apgar scores were 8 and 9! Everyone made it as Derek was carrying him out!
Derek left the OR with him and I was sewed up and taken to recovery...I must have fell asleep during that part because I just remember waking up in recovery...haha I wonder what the OR team thought about that:)
So while I was in recovery I was just counting down that hour until I got to see my new baby boy! When they took me to my room, everyone was looking atme weird, but no one would say anything...I was starting to get freaked out. Then Derek tells me that J is in the NICU becaus he was having trouble breathing and his sugar kept dropping...I immediately called the NICU to find out what was going on...they had him on an IV of antibiotics, and were running tests. I told them I was breast feeding and I knew it would help his sugar level if I could just feed him, so they brougth me a pump and I pumped for him...they fed him with droppers like a sick puppy:( I felt useless because I still couldn't move my legs. With an epidural you get feeling and movement back very quickly, but with a spinal it takes up to 8hrs!!! So yep it was the next morning before I even got to see my new baby! I spent my whole time almost in the NICU, and J's nurse was amazing..she encouraged skin-to-skin and told me I was a pro Breastfeeder haha...J got out of the NICU that Wednesday, so I was able to have a normal experience with him that last night at the hospital!

There you have it! Hope you enjoyed!